The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for six people who were aboard a medical transport aircraft that went missing off the coast of Nantucket.
At around 2 a.m. Saturday, the FAA notified the Coast Guard that contact with the Gulfstream G100 twinjet aircraft had been lost as it was traveling from Bermuda to Boston.
The aircraft disappeared off the FAA’s radar just before it was due to land, officials stated.
“Suspending a search is not an easy decision,” Rear Admiral Matthew Lake, Commander of the Northeast District, said in a statement released on Sunday.
“We express our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones affected by the tragedy and our gratitude for our partner agencies who helped support search efforts.”
The six passengers aboard the aircraft included four Canadian nationals, including two medics and two pilots, as well as a Bermudian patient and their relative, the Coast Guard and Latitude Air Ambulance, the missing plane’s owner, told the New York Post. The patient was being transported from Bermuda to Boston for medical care, according to the Post. Their next of kin have been notified.
The Coast Guard said crews searched by air and sea as agencies worked to determine the aircraft’s last known position. Officials spent more than 66 hours searching across 4,445 square miles for the aircraft.
FlightAware data showed the aircraft descending rapidly shortly before it disappeared, dropping from approximately 24,000 feet to 11,000 feet in about three minutes. The dramatic descent began at around 1:04 a.m., according to the flight-tracking data.
Air traffic control recordings captured in the moments before the plane disappeared also shed more light on the aircraft’s final minutes. At around 12:46 a.m., a controller appeared to ask the pilot, “You’re coming in blind? Is that what you said?” The controller then asked whether the pilot was declaring an emergency, but the pilot’s response was inaudible.
The aircraft had reportedly experienced an electrical issue, according to radio transmissions reviewed by the Post. At around 1:12 a.m., a Massport Fire Rescue dispatcher told emergency crews to prepare for the plane, which was expected to arrive in Boston within about 15 minutes. “The aircraft has lost radio and radar,” the dispatcher said.
The FAA issued a search-and-rescue alert around 1:20 a.m. as authorities worked to locate the aircraft.
Debris from the air ambulance was discovered floating in the ocean on Saturday night. The Coast Guard confirmed that the debris field was associated with the missing aircraft, but the six people aboard remained unaccounted for.
The Coast Guard said the appropriate investigative authorities will coordinate an investigation into the incident.
